Italian construction

Pat's house in Italy, under construction

In this picture you can see three or four things: the white concrete beam that is part of the superstructure, the brown brick/block that is used to 'fill-in' between this framework; the concrete floor, and the plumbing and electrical lines that are run along the floor. These lines will be covered with another layer of concrete. Then, radiant heat lines will be run across the entire floor, and then another layer of concrete will be poured over that. Only then will the tile or wood floor be installed. In total the floor will be 18" to 24" thick!

Here you can see the block used to fill-in between concrete beams, and the electrical lines run on the floor and in the walls. Like Mexico, the channels in the walls are hand-cut after the block is installed. Any changes or errors are difficult to fix, as they have to cut out concrete and block.

Here you can see some of the concrete columns holding up the main roof.

Another view of a bedroom, with the electrical lines, etc. All of these lines will be covered with concrete, then radiant lines, then another layer of concrete, then flooring. You can just see that the electrical outlets on the wall are set about 3' off the floor--very high now, but just right once the floors are done.

Here is a view of the roof. A beautiful post and beam construction, covered with t&g decking

To my surprise, they have built a vented or 'cold' roof. Usually this is only done in very cold climates to prevent the snow from melting and creating ice on the eaves. I guess they are far enough north, and high enough, that they do get snow and ice here.

A cold roof is one that has an air space built-in to the roof structure. So: above the t&g decking they have installed wood battens and another layer of wood or plywood to create a small 1" air space above the t&g (tongue and groove) decking. What this does is prevent heat from the house from contacting the actually roof. This means the roof will always stay cold, preventing the snow from melting, which in turn, prevents ice from forming on the eaves. This air space is vented both at the eave (there is a perforated metal vent installed at the eave line), and at the ridge (there are holes cut in the ridge to let air flow from the eave and out the ridge).

The outside of the house has begun to be plastered

Another surprise! The tile roof is installed using foam! The top layer of wood deck is covered with ice and water shield (peel and stick asphalt), then, instead of nailing the tile in place, they are spraying foam on the roof and installing the tile in the foam. In the states we use foam to install insulation on concrete decks, and insulation to insulation, but I don't think I have ever seen tile installed with foam. I have no doubt it would work ok--foam holds very well.

This shows a hole cut in the ridge-line to vent the roof

A view of the copper gutter and the peel and stick asphalt used to waterproof the roof

Another view of vents cut in the hip line of the roof

One of the roofers installing foam to both sides of the tile that has been laid

It is rainy season here on Tinian...again. I guess it rains half the year and is sunny half the year. So far, since we have been home, it has rained every day, a lot. Last night it rained so hard it was almost deafening! I am anxious to see what has been done on the island since I have been gone, but it's hard to walk in the rain... so I thought I would talk about Italian construction.

One of the main reasons for going to Italy was to see Pat's new house (Terri's brother went on a mission to Italy, married a beautiful Italian woman, and lives and works in Italy). Unfortunately, the house was not completed when we arrived (we would have all liked to have seen it in its completed condition--just an excuse to visit again!), but it gave someone like me the chance to study the construction. Pat was kind enough to give me a guided tour of the house, explaining all the construction going on, and even a tour of the roof (my favorite, of course), which happened to be in the middle of being installed.

Italian construction is almost identical with Mexican construction methods. They begin by pouring a concrete slab (in Pat's case, they required he install many concrete pilings under the slab for seismic reasons). Then they create an open superstructure using concrete columns and beams, and concrete floors. Once this concrete framework is done, they 'fill-in' the space between the beams with cinder-block. Then the whole thing is covered with plaster. Like Mexico, the ceilings/floors are also filled-in with cinder-block. This is done by installing small 6" concrete beams that have a lip on both sides that the cinder-block sits on. Then the concrete is poured over the top of this.

There are lots of bells and whistles that will be installed in Pat's home. The radiant heating and hot water is connected to a geothermal system installed in the ground behind the house, and solar panels are supposed to be installed on the roof. When all of this is connected, it will heat and cool the house, both. Waterlines are buried deep in the ground behind the house in a large grid. By being deep in the ground, the water is heated by the ground in the winter (the ground will be warmer than the air in the winter), and cooled by the ground in the summer (the ground will be cooler than the air in the summer). And, of course, the solar panels will heat water for use in the hot water for the house and the heating. All of these lines are connected together: the geothermal, the solar, the radiant lines in the floor, and are connected to a pump that will circulate water through the system. Wow! And it actually works! Saves money, and can actually create power, i.e., electricity, for the house when working correctly.

I think I have that right, anyway...

It is a modern wonder, and I am anxious to see the completed house!